dry kala chana recipe, how to make dry kala chana

dry kala chana is always made during the kanjak ceremony on the last day of the navratri in our home. this dish is always served with pooris on this day.

the kanjaks are served the kala chana with pooris. and after they have been served the rest of the family has the pooris with kala chana. along with kala chana, sooji ka halwa is also made on this day.

while i made this kala chana recipe on a regular day for dinner and we had it with chapatis. this is a punjabi recipe and i have modified the original family recipe. the result was a chatpata kala chana. have the dry kala chana with the zing of lime and its great. good during the monsoons to have a bowl of kala chana with or without chapati or bread. this recipe can be had for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner.

when made during kanjak only turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, salt and mustard oil is added to this recipe. you could have a look at the original minimally spiced recipe here – sookha kala chana

you could have sookha kala chana with puri, roti, naan, bhatura or even plain bread. the leftover chana can be easily added as a stuffing inside bread, topped with slices of onion, tomato, cheese and grilled/toasted and you have an amazing chana cheese sandwich ready. this is how i usually use the leftover kala chana for breakfast.

this is a step by step recipe on how to make kala chana. it was dark and raining this day. thus the kitchen was dark and i have yellow lights in the kitchen. hence a few step by step photographs have not come out very well.

lets start step by step dry kala chana recipe:

pick the kala chana to remove any stones. wash them in running water for 3-4 times and then soak the kala chana overnight. they become plump and all the wrinkles on them disappear after they are completely soaked.

the next day add water to the kala chana.

and boil the kala chana in a pressure cooker with 1 tsp salt for 20-25 minutes till the chana is cooked completely. strain the chana.

in a pan heat 3 tbsp oil. splutter the cumin seeds.

now add black chana and mix well.

add the ginger julienne and chopped green chili. i added some 1/2 cup of the chana stock to the chanas so that they do not stick to the pan. you may or may reserve some stock if you want. in case you don’t add any water, then saute the chana on a low flame so as to avoid burning.

add all the dry masalas and black salt to the kala chana.

mix it well and let the chana cook in the masala for a couple of minutes. remember to keep on stirring so that the dry chana masala do not stick to the bottom of the pan. garnish dry kala chana with chopped coriander leaves.

pick the kala chana to remove any stones. wash them in running water for 3-4 times and then soak the kala chana overnight. they become plump and all the wrinkles on them disappear after they are completely soaked.

the next day add water to the chana.

and boil the chana in a pressure cooker with 1 tsp salt for 20-25 minutes till the chana is cooked completely. strain the chana.

in a pan heat 3 tbsp oil. splutter the cumin seeds.

now add chana and mix well.

add the ginger julienne and chopped green chili. i added some ½ cup of the chana stock to the chanas so that they do not stick to the pan. you may or may reserve some stock if you want. in case you don’t add any water, then saute the chana on a low flame so as to avoid burning.

add all the dry masalas and black salt to the chana.

mix it well and let the kala chana cook in the masala for a couple of minutes. remember to keep on stirring so that the dry chana masala do not stick to the bottom of the pan. garnish kala chana with chopped coriander leaves.

and serve kala chana hot with wedges of lemon.

NOTES

few points for kala chana recipe1. when making kala chana for navratri festival, use rock salt. 2. you could alter the spice powders as per your taste.3. to make kala chana more hot and spicy add more of green chillies and red chili powder.4. to increase the sourness increase the amount of dry mango powder and chaat masala.5. make sure you have the kala chana with lemon. we did not have any lemons in the house and had to do without these :-(6. you may use white chickpeas or even black eyed beans to make this recipe.

This looks great- I love kala channa. Ok this is a real dumb question- but since I’m a beginner what do you mean by boiling in a cooker? Is it the usual cooking in pressure cooker with the lid on? On another note, your aloo jeera was awesome :).

Thanks a lot for this super easy yet tasty recipe. I needed something quick to make for lunch and I came across your recipe. I know you suggested that this be had with puri, bread etc but we had this with rice and curds and it was perfect! Saved this in my list of favorites. Thanks once again

Thank you for this recipie. I used to not make chana as I felt it wastoo time consuming to make it… This recipie turned out so nice, my husband and daughter enjoyed it.. I am a working woman and I was looking for bhindi recipie when I came across your site. My husband loves bhindi and you gave so many styles he is very happy nowadays as I keep giving new varieties of sabzi’s to tiffin daily. You make the recipies so simple and your pictures really help… It makes me confident that inspite of having less time we can still cook nice tasty food…

Nice way of cooking Dassana.
While your’s is a very simple way of cooking, i prefer soaking the chana in boiling water which in turn helps you cook it faster as chana takes lesser time to boil and you also don’t have to keep it soaked for long. This is a preferable way to make the chana when you had not preplanned for it and still wants to make it in about 3 to 4 hours.

Hi i guess ur name is sana dasa.
If u dnt mind i wl cl u sana..
Sana came across ur blog while searching
For chola bhatura preparation n lovedit a lot
I coooked it myself n trust me u r aweessonme
I try many reciepes by my own also..
Keep it up nice job done.